Railway-traffic-controlling apparatus



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.4 1,673,335 F. w. LEE

RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 6, 1927 A 7 2 G5 9 7 I I I0 E I, z/ I I 26 1' 1 L// l 2? 4 /R D 6 i 13' I A GI if ibpmazzentMagnet mfifilgi til? I INVENTORI Patented June 12, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK W. LEE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH &

SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-[DEAF]?IC-CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

Application filed January 6, 1927. Serial No. 159,312.

My invention relates to railway traflic controlling apparatus, and particularly to apparatus of the type comprising train carried governing means suitable for coo-operation with traffic controlling devices located at intervals along the trackway.

I will describe one form of apparatus embodying my invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

The accompanying drawing is a view, partially diagrammatic and partially in per spective, illustrating one form of railway traffic controlling apparatus embodying my 1 invention.

Referring to the drawing, the reference character E designates a train carried receiver comprising two elongated magnetizable cores 7 and 8 located on the train in spaced parallel relation and preferably so directions at an instant through the mag-' netic circuit including the cores in series as indicated diagrammatically by the broken line 26. The winding9 is provided with a larger number of turns than winding 10,

so that under normal conditions the magnetomotive force of winding 9 substantially neutralizes the flux from winding 10 in core 8.

Associated with receiver E is a differential relay K. This relay may be of any suitable type and as here shown comprises a core made up of a back strap 14 and two legs 15 and 16. The back strap 14 also 4 carries a leg 19 to the end of which is pivoted a movable armature 20 adapted to swing toward leg 15 or 16. The leg 19 may be permanently magnetized to increase the sensitivity of the relay. The armature 2O controls contact mechanism here illustrated as a movable member 21 arranged to engage fixed contacts 21* or 21 according as the armature 20 is swung toward leg 16 or leg 17, respectively. Leg 16 of relay K is pro- 8b titled with a winding 18 which is supplied with direct current of substantially constant magnitude from any convenient source. As here shown the winding 18 is supplied with current from a winding 11 on'core 7through a rectifier G In the present embodiment of my invention the rectifier G is made up of a plurality of asymmetrical units 18. In addition to the winding 10, the core 8 carries a winding 12 which is connected, through a rectifier G similar to rectifier G with a winding 170n leg 15 of relay K andwith the winding of a checking relay L. The

windings of relay K are so arranged that the eifects of currents supplied to these windings from windings 11 and 12 of the receiver E are in opposition. That is to say, the current in winding 18 tends to draw armature 20 toward leg 16 and current in winding 17 tends to drawthe armature toward leg 15. Furthermore, the parts areso arranged that under normal conditions, that is, when the flux from winding 9 is traversing the path 26 to oppose the flux from winding 10 on core 8, the current in wind ing 17 is small compared with the current in winding 18 so that under these conditions armature 20 is drawn towardleg 16 of relay K. Under these conditionsalso the checking relay L is energized and current flows from a suitable source of energy, such as a rectifier G connected with the alternator M,

over contact 2121 of relay K and front contact 23 ofrelay L to a magnet H which may control train governing means in any suitable manner. For example, the magnet H as here shown applies the brakes when thismagnet is de-energized. It will be observed that the circuit for the magnet H includes its own front contact 24 so that after the magnet is oncede-energized, its circuit can again be, closed onlyby manipulation of a manually operable circuit controller 25 which is preferably located on the locomotive in someposition where it is inaccessible to the engineman except when the train is at rest;

The receiver E is suitable for co-operation with trackway devices, one of which is illustrated at D in the drawing. The device D comprises a magnetizable core 4 provided with a winding 5 which may at times be placed on short circuit. As shown in the drawing when relay R is energized to close its front contact 6, a circuit is closed for winding 5 of device 1) so that under these conditions the effective reluctance of the core 4 is comparatively high. \Vhen relay R becomes de-energized, however, to open front contact 6, the circuit for winding 5 is interrupted and the effective reluctance of core l is then comparatively low. The devices D are located at intervals along the trackway in such positions that when a train provided with a receiver E passes a device D, the receiver passes through a position in which the core t is parallel to the cores 7 and 8 and between the latter cores but below them. In actual practice, the relay R will be controlled in accordance with tratiic conditions so that therelay is energized when tratlic conditions are safe but that the relay is rte-energized when tratiic conditions are unsafe.

When the receiver E passes over a device D having its winding 5 open-circuited, the comparatively low reluctance of the core 4 permits the core to shunt flux from the core 7 into the path indicated by the dash and dot lines 28 on. the drawing. It will be apparent that when the flux from winding 9 is shunted away from core 8 along the path 28 the flux from winding 10 may then pass through the path 27 also including the core 4. Under these conditions the total flux in core 8 is considerably larger than when the receiver is over the device D having its winding 5 closed or when the receiver is remote from the device D. As a result of the increased flux in core 8, an increased electromotive force is induced in winding 12. The consequent increase in currentsupplied to Winding 17 of relay K reverses the armature 20 and operates contact 21. \Vhen this occurs the circuit for magnet 11 is interrupted, tie-energizing this magnet and applying the brakes. At the same time the closing of contact 21-21 energizes a. lamp 22 to display a stop indication on board the train and to warn the cngineman of the change in tratiic conditions. It should be pointed out that since magnet H is normally energized over a stick circuit including its own front contact, when the circuit for this magnet is interrupted, it may subsequently be energized only by manipulation of the manually operable circuit controller 25. It should further be noted that operation of 25 cannot re-energize magnet H unless the checking relay L is energized and relay K is energized to close contact 2121.

The purpose of relay L is to interrupt the circuit for magnet II should the circuit which is supplied with energy by winding 12 become opened or should core 8 for any reason be deprived of magnetic flux.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of railway tratlic controlling apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my what I claim is:

1. In con'ibination, a train carried relay having two windings, means for siuiiplying one winding with current of substantially constant magnitude. a train carried receiver comprising two cores, a magnetic circuit including the two cores in series, a winding on one core connected with the remaining winding of the relay, two sources of magnetomotive force one on each core or sending flux through the magnetic circuit in opposite directions, a. member located in the trackway for at times shunting flux from each said core away from the other core, and governin 7 means responsive to the relative magnitu des of the currents in the windings of the relay.

2. In combination, a differential polarized relay comprising two windings, means for supplying one winding of the relay with direct current of substantially constant magnitude, a checking relay, a rectifier, a train carried receiver comprising two cores, a magnetic circuit including the two cores in series, two sources of magnetomot-ive force one on each core for sending flux through the magnetic circuit-in opposite directions. and a receiver winding on one said core; a circuit including the receiver winding, the rectifier, the checking relay and the remaining winding of the differential polarized relay, means located in the trackway for at times shunting flux from each said core away from the other core, and train carried governing means controlled jointly by the differential polarized relay and by the checking relay.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

invention,

FREDERICK W. LEE. 

